Tracy Dickinson is ‘in the pink’

Tracy Dickinson is pictured with her '$5,000 hat' at Park Ridge Police Headquarters. She wore a pink suit and pink hair extension especially for this photo. With her are Chief Joseph Madden, at left, and Lt. Nick Errico who organized the 'Think Pink' initiative.

On Oct. 1, the beginning of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the officers and command staff of the department began wearing pink hats, modeled after their official dark blue ones, while on patrol. They will wear them for the entire month.

The effort was the idea of Lt. Nick Errico, himself a cancer survivor, whose wife, Carla, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006. She's a survivor and Nick wanted to honor her. With the enthusiastic backing from Chief Joseph Madden, he bought the hats for the department – personalized ones. The rank of each member of the command staff and the badge number of the patrol officers was embroidered on the back of each hat.

He also thought he'd try to sell a "civilian" version of the hats, with "Supporter" embroidered on the back. He wasn't sure how popular they'd be so he'd planned to take orders and then have them made as the demand dictated. It wasn't long before people were asking for order forms.

One of those people was Park Ridge resident Tracy Dickinson. On the very first day the officers wore their hats, she came to headquarters and wanted to order one. She filled out the order form and wrote a check. Dickinson has been an active supporter of the department's D.A.R.E. program and the department beginning soon after she moved to Park Ridge 12 years ago.

Her interest in the D.A.R.E. program is very personal. "My only brother died of a drug overdose in 1969 – he was 19. It was tragic," she said, still overcome with sadness all these years later. She's donated two Jeep Cherokees to the department for the D.A.R.E. program, rather than trading them in when buying a new one.

That she was supporting the department in this new initiative didn't come as a surprise. What surprised everyone was the amount of the check she wrote when she ordered her hat – $5,000. Capt. Joseph Rampolla said, "We didn't look at the check until after she left." He added that she hadn't ordered 200 hats – just one.

In an interview, Dickinson explained how she came to write the check. "I really surprised myself, but I was thinking of my maternal grandmother who died in 1936 of breast cancer. She was diagnosed when she was 50 and died at 57." And she was also thinking about her own health. She has had endometriosis for decades, and numerous surgeries associated with it. She has been a member of the board of directors of the Endometriosis Association, whose international headquarters are in Milwaukee.

"Those with endometriosis are more prone to ovarian and breast cancer. There are 6.5 million women in the U.S. with endometriosis – 89 million worldwide – and there is an eightfold increase in our risk of getting ovarian cancer," she said, adding that "women need to stay vigilant and have regular check-ups and mammograms."

Errico said the demand for the hats was so great that he ordered 50, rather than just taking orders, and they were gone in no time. "I heard from a captain with the Wanaque Police Department who said what a good idea the hats were. He sent a check and an order for hats."

There's no question that the pink hats and the officers who are wearing them are fulfilling the goal of the initiative – raising awareness of breast cancer. The officers have gotten lots of support from the public, too. Officer Greg Stalb said, "I've had lots of positive comments about the hats. People are saying 'thank you' for raising awareness of breast cancer, and most of them tell me they are survivors."

For more information about endometriosis, visit endometriosisassn.org. Hats are $25 and can be ordered at Park Ridge Police Headquarters, 33 Park Ave. All proceeds will be donated to breast cancer research.